Prior art remote controlled vehicles lack the functionality to be reconfigured to perform different kinds of difficult, dangerous or hazardous work, such as searching a rubble pile for survivors of a natural disaster; taking radiation levels after a nuclear catastrophe; breeching a wall of a building where an armed and dangerous terrorist is making bombs; providing security for a high value asset; crawling through a sewage pipeline; or serving a high-risk warrant.
Turning to the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 7,926,598 issued to Rudakevych teaches a method of using a flipper to navigate obstacles. The present invention utilizes higher torque motors mechanically coupled to a plurality of wheels to accomplish the same end. The present invention uses more motors which are larger and more powerful to handle difficult terrain.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,974,736 issued to Morin teaches a device for discharging a weapon that is attached to a robot. The drivetrain is based on a series of cited prior art references that, even when combined, do not teach the motors which are larger and more powerful to handle difficult terrain.
U.S. Patent Application 2009/0120273 submitted by Eckdahl discloses a remote controlled vehicle for breaching a barrier where the vehicle has a gross vehicle weight of approximately 17,000 pounds. Unsurprisingly, a vehicle that large can breach a boundary and tows other vehicles. The disclosed invention accomplishes the same tasks in a much smaller vehicle which teaches away from Eckdahl's requirement of a large truck.